210 PHYSIOLOGICAL REMAINS. 



3. Calcination. All metals may be calcined by 

 strong waters, or by admixtion of salt, sulphur, and 

 mercury. The imperfect metals may be calcined by 

 continuance of simple fire ; iron thus calcined is 

 called crocus martis. 



And this is their best way. Gold and silver are 

 best calcined by mercury. Their colour is grey. 

 Lead calcined is very red. Copper dusky red. 



4. Metals are sublimed by joining them with 

 mercury or salts. As silver with mercury, gold with 

 sal armoniac, mercury with vitriol. 



5. Precipitation is, when any metal being dis 

 solved into a strong water/is beaten down into a 

 powder by salt water. The chiefest in this kind is 

 oil of tartar. 



6. Amalgamation is the joining or mixing of 

 mercury with any other of the metals. The man 

 ner is this in gold, the rest are answerable : take six 

 parts of mercury, make them hot in a crucible, and 

 pour them to one part of gold made red hot in 

 another crucible, stir these well together that they 

 may incorporate ; which done, cast the mass into cold 

 water and wash it. This is called the amalgama of 

 gold. 



7. For vitrification. All the imperfect metals 

 may be turned by strong fire into glass, except mer 

 cury ; iron into green ; lead into yellow ; brass into 

 blue ; tin into pale yellow. For gold and silver, I 

 have not known them vitrified, except joined with 

 antimony. These glassy bodies may be reduced into 

 the form of mineral bodies. 



